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“I tell them to read and to learn and to make the most of their new home. I tell them I'm giving them Zion as a gift to make up for all the sorrows of their lives so far and all the sorrows man has visited on man. I tell them to be kind to each other and modest. I tell them never to hurt each other but that if someone else comes along and tries to hurt them to strike back with righteous anger.”— Randall Dean Clark, from Randall Clark terminal entries

Contents

The Sorrows are a friendly tribe, and are particularly unique as they do not have a warrior-based culture, but rather a hunting-based culture. Their rite of passage reflects this; it involves a young Sorrow hunting and killing a yao guai and fashioning a yao guai gauntlet from its paw. It seems they also raise normal geckos, since many friendly geckos can be seen in their camp.

The Sorrows have until recently exclusively worshiped a spirit known as "The Father in the Cave," but Daniel has been trying to convert them to Mormonism as of late, and has experienced some success due to the parallels between the two religions. For example, the Sorrows now believe that the Father's holy bride (Mary) and holy son (Jesus) were given unto the world to save it. They dwelt in the caverns of the mountains, caverns which can still be seen today. The people sinned against Him (God) and were punished with the End That Came in Fire (or the "Last Judgment") and the loss of the holy tongue (English), and that only the New Canaanites were spared. Daniel is apparently unaware of his failure to get his message across clearly until it is (optionally) pointed out by the Courier.

The Sorrows' history is closely tied to their religion. The original Sorrows were a group of children, the eldest born no earlier than 2109. They spoke English and were literate, and had escaped a place known only as "The School." Nothing is known about this place, save that the children would scare each other with tales of "The Principal." Less than a year after the children arrived in Zion, notes and gifts began to appear from seemingly nowhere. At first, story books, and later medical books and weapon manuals replaced them - the sort of thing that would help the children survive the post-apocalyptic world.

All the notes were signed "the Father." Some contained practical advice, others provided spiritual guidance, advising them to read and learn, be kind and modest, to protect one another and fight only those who posed threats to them, and telling them that Zion was the Father's gift to them, as an apology for the sorrows of their lives and the sorrows of the Great War.

Eventually, the gifts became fewer and far between, and one day one final note was discovered. It contained a personal message for each individual member of the group, an assurance that their kind natures had pleased the Father, and a message that the Father would step back from their lives, but keep a silent vigil. Most of the group's later history is unknown, but it is known that at some point they began calling themselves the Sorrows, and attempted to search the caves in the region for traces of the Father. After their scouts disappeared, it seemed clear to them that individuals seeking out the Father would be taken from them, and so they began marking any pre-War buildings or tech with a white hand mark, declaring them taboo (off-limits). This practice has also been adopted by other local tribes, meaning that much of Zion has remained more or less the same as it was the day the bombs dropped, until the arrival of the New Canaanites and the White Legs.

The language spoken by the Sorrows, like that of the Dead Horses, is a combination of Res and a language spoken by tourists who were visiting Res when the bombs dropped. It seems to be a combination of broken English, German, Spanish, and hints of Japanese, and thus is most pertinently described as a creole language. [citation needed]

Daniel succeeded in leading the Sorrows out of Zion, as he had wanted to do from the start. The Courier protected the Sorrows during the evacuation, ensuring that most reached their destination unharmed. Over the weeks and months to come, Daniel would see to the Sorrows' resettlement in Grand Staircase. Their adjustment to their new home was not without difficulty, but eventually the Sorrows came to accept the loss of Zion.

Daniel evacuated the Sorrows from Zion, but due to the Courier's neglect, the White Legs butchered many along the way. Those who survived barely reached Grand Staircase, but once there, the Dead Horses and New Canaanites helped them settle. The unfamiliarity of their new surroundings, and the loss of loved ones, evoked a terrible and lasting grief among the Sorrows. For two generations, many would die still lamenting the loss of Zion.

The Sorrows fought beside Joshua Graham and the Dead Horses, eradicating the threat the White Legs posed to Zion. Seeing the Courier convince Joshua Graham to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds, the Sorrows learned that retribution could be tempered by mercy. Though he despaired at the Sorrows' loss of innocence, Daniel took some small consolation in the Courier's lesson, and prayed it would take root.

The Sorrows fought beside Joshua Graham and the Dead Horses, eradicating the threat the White Legs posed to Zion. Watching as the Courier encouraged Joshua Graham to execute Salt-Upon-Wounds, the Sorrows learned that New Canaan offered no mercy to the wicked. The Sorrows' transformation from a peaceful, timid tribe into a merciless, warlike people broke Daniel's heart. Over time, the Sorrows became ever more ruthless in their dealings - even with each other. Daniel traveled to and from between the New Canaanites and Zion, continuing to plead for a return to the old ways whenever he visited. Eventually, the Sorrows grew tired of his blather, and turned their backs on him.

Help Joshua Graham crush the White Legs and then allow Joshua Graham to execute Salt-Upon-Wounds.

5

The Sorrows fought beside Joshua Graham and the Dead Horses, eradicating the threat the White Legs posed to Zion. When the Courier and Joshua Graham felled Salt-Upon-Wounds, their victory was celebrated with a great feast. The Sorrows' transformation from a peaceful, timid tribe into a proud and warlike people broke Daniel's heart. He tried to take solace in the knowledge that they would remain in Zion, but it was a small comfort. The Sorrows' innocence was lost.